High speed printers have been used in the printing industry to apply name and address information to magazines. In recent years this technology has advanced to the point where addresses and bar codes can be printed on publications for mailing.
Several machines are known for printing on labels and applying them to objects. The problem with the "print and apply" devices currently on the market is that they are relatively slow. Few exceed a practical rate of 50 parts per minute and none are known to process 100 parts or more per minute. Existing systems include self-contained units that perform both the printing step and the applying step. Printing, which is often performed by thermal transfer, is controlled by information supplied from a host (generally a computer). Once printed, a label is advanced to a position on the application portion of the device and is either blown or tamped onto the target surface. When this operation has been completed, the printer/applicator is ready to print the next label. Some companies have made these operations more efficient by making the print and apply operations concurrent. However, the data handling and mechanical nature of these devices still does not allow them to reach 100 parts per minute.